Ten... outdoor gadgets
Don't leave base without them
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Product Round-up Experiencing the great outdoors is fundamentally about escaping the trappings of modern life – leaving all the gadgets and gizmos we carry around at home – right?
Well, maybe not – as there’s a mountain of technology ready to enhance, rather than detract from your chosen outdoor pursuit, however extreme or placid. To document and record; advise on progress; predict conditions or vitally save your neck when it all goes wrong, there's a gadget that'll do the trick.
Below is a selection of trek tech for a huge sweep of activities, whether you get your outdoor kicks all year-round or just in the milder months.
Garmin Forerunner 610
With a nifty touchscreen that works through gloves – and didn’t get hampered too badly by my copious sweatings – this runners’ watch has most requirements covered. A strap around the torso monitors heartbeat wirelessly, it locates GPS satellites neatly when used outside, while a relentlessly bloodthirsty virtual competitor tries to intimidate you. Note to those who need encouragement: stick him on slow and you’ll feel like Usain on every run. It has delightfully simple magnetic charging cradle and, moreover, it retains a charge for days. Plugged in to a computer, all your vital data is accessible along with GPS mapping. Probably one for committed runners only, yet anyone interested in fitness who spends a lot of time in wilderness locations will find plenty to enjoy.
Reg Rating 85%
Price £330
More info Garmin
Knog Nerd 12
The Knog’s funky, simplistic, Australian design gives it an element of non-geek appeal. It works immediately straight out of the box, without the need for complicated configuration, and can store separate data for two bikes, again without fuss. The 12 functions include trip distance, average speed, a 12/24 hour clock and relative speed (displayed as a graph of current speed against average speed). It’s not for serious cyclists who want to monitor their fitness and performance; yet with a decent backlight and 100 per cent waterproof rating, it’ll take a whole lot of punishment and would complement any casual biker’s weekend trip very well.
Reg Rating 75%
Price £62
More info Knog
Next page: Liquid Image Impact HD720P
COMMENTS
Suggestion for reviews like this
I have a suggestion for reviews like this: please tell us WHAT THE HECK THE THING IS in the title.
Consider the Knog Nerd 12 - The picture doesn't immediately tell me this is a bicycle computer, and I was 2 sentences in to a 4 sentence review (albeit one of those sentences is quite long) before I knew what it was.
Would it be so hard to have the title be "Knog Nerd 12 Bicycle computer"?
Or the Liquid Image Impact HD720P - "Oh, goggles. No wait - goggles with a camera!? Now I understand what HD720P refers to!" Given that manufacturers love to put random strings of numbers and letters after product names it's not worth trying to parse them. "Liquid Image Impact HD720P Goggle/Camera"
The Real World
Invented so geeks could have somewhere to use GPS.
Top ten outdoor gadgets?
0) Water
1) A good pair of boots
2) Multitool
3) 7"Ka-bar
4) Fire starter
5) Good hat
6) hooks & line
7) Salt
8) 3x4 metres of 8 or 10 mil visqueen
9) Clothing appropriate for weather conditions
30 metres of quarter inch nylon line, a cooking pot, bedroll, good map
& compass, signaling mirror, small flashlight, basic medical kit, small handgun etc. are also handy, but hardly necessary. I've crossed the Rockies with no more than my top ten ... Survival training isn't exactly a walk in the park ;-)
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